Swiftly

Anyone who has tried to photograph a swift at 6pm on a grey Monday evening will understand why this photo is not better. What counts is the fact that it is the first one to arrive over our house. Even before I took an interest in birds, the arrival of the first martin, swallow or swift was noted. Last year the swifts were the last to arrive. This year, they are the first and early to boot despite the cold dull weather.
Speaking of boots, I have been clunking round the house today in my new walking boots. I bought them last year, but had not worn them before I went into hospital so they haven't been broken in. As we are off to Suffolk on a couple of weeks, I decided that phase one of breaking them in was timely. I also did a trouser audit, and discovered I have 17 pairs of walking trousers. I suppose that's a bit excessive, but there are winter trousers, summer trousers, and those which don't fit any more (too big and too small) but I can bring myself to dispose of them.